Taming Pet Jealousy - Tamar
Taming Pet Jealousy - Tamar's Answer
Q: What is the best way to deal with a dog that has jealousy issues with other pets in the house?
One of the most common reasons for dogs being jealous of each other is due to the owners' own innocent mistake. I'm talking about treating two dogs the way a parent tries to treat his two children: equally. For dogs, being equal goes against their nature. They live in a pack (if not physically, then mentally) and they have a clear packing order. After all, they spend most of their waking time playing games that establish that packing order such as chase, wrestle, and tug-of-war.
The fastest way to stop the jealousy between two dogs is to see which one is truly the leader, and start giving that dog privileges such as offering him the food first, greeting him first, allowing only him on the sofa, etc. If there are no jealousy issues, there is no need to do the above.
It very hard for owners to favor one dog over the other (particularly if it turns out the leader is the newcomer). Keep in mind that after a transitional period, peace, calm, and pleasant visits to the vet will follow and convince everyone that it is worth it. I had to follow that routine with my own dogs. My newcomer, Duke, is a yellow lab mix that was a "target practice" in Pitbull fighting (they broke his back feet so that he couldn't defend himself properly). He became very jealous of my other dog, Clyde, who is clearly the leader.
After a few close calls and one visit to the vet, I instituted the above changes. After a bit of time, Duke came to accept the fact that he is very loved, but that Clyde comes first. Now there are no more jealousy issues or close calls. It is essential to establish the pack leader of your pets early on to prevent resentful behavior in the future.
Read Cheri's Answer >>
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Comments (3)
Anonymous May 11, 2009 1:08 AM
That explains why I have had such a hard time training my 15 month old dachshund to get along with my 3 month old dachshund. I've been trying to treat them equally and fair. Thanks for explaining what I'll have to do. Tho it will b hard to favor the dominant one at times.
LOIS WATSON June 25, 2009 9:28 PM
i SEEM TO HAVE A JEALOUSY PROBLEM WITH MY TWO YORKIES.
i HAVE HAD A FEMALE FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS, AND RECENTLY GOT A MALE. THE FEMALE IS VERY AGGRESSIVE AND FIGHT S WITH THE NEW DOG, HOW CAN I STOP THIS?
Karen September 3, 2009 1:59 PM
I have a 5 year old rescued Parson's Russel Terrier that we've had for 7 months. We recently rescued two German Shepherd puppies (12 weeks old). The Terrier will play for a very short time with the puppies and then growl and turn on them. He has bitten them both several times. We are usually on-the-spot and try to step inbetween which works for a short time. Then if we're not watching, behind our backs, he will bite them. Also, the terrier is now starting to become agressive to other dogs. We have tried to be the leader. What can we do? Nothing seems to work.
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